Fiesta ST Vs. Lancer Evolution

If I am taking the cash rebate, what would be the APR. That's the question. Trying to figure out which one is cheaper.
Now I will let the grape ferments ...

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If you go with Ford Financing to get that extra $500 off, the APR is 4.9%. You can then refinance through your bank after 90 days. Most banks I believe have about a 1.99% rate so it's worth it. The dealer actually mentioned this scenario while I was talking with them and crunching numbers. Check with your dealer though as it varies as to where you live. In SoCal, they can get $2000 off instead of the $1500 where I live on the East Coast. This includes financing through Ford. So their rebate is $1500 without financing. My dealer said Ford gives better incentives to larger volume dealers/areas. If true, this doesn't make sense to me as it would help with sales in smaller towns with less disposable income compared to SoCal. Ugh.

If it is really -$2500, with the area pricing at -$500 below listed invoice before incentive, I am looking at about $20050 otd for a base car. That includes 9% tax and CA neck-choking registration fees.
At 60 months and 1.99%, $351.34x60 payment.
So tempting.

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That looks right. Check out the current MLK Jr. Sales ad here. Maybe you won't get the extra $500 military discount, but this price is awesome!

Definitely helps reduce buyers remorse. Good rule if you can stick to it and apparently you can. I know I couldn't after I drove one. Not that I have a bit of remorse over buying it!

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Agreed this one was worth the wait though near the end of the wait I was getting the icth to take the plain one the dealer had in stock .. BUt I was advised by my budget committee to wait or I would be angry with myself.. She oh I mean The Committee was right again....

Great system as was said if you got the stones to stick with it .. Me i tend to be weak..

Sounds like you were turned off by the salesman's reactions to your questions. I wouldn't get too hung up on that. He won't be the one servicing it anyway. If you decide you want the Lotus, we can't blame you for that! If you decide you want a hot hatch, you know this is the one to have!

It's hard for me to think of the FiST as a lightweight. It weighs MORE than the FOCUS that it replaces, even though the Focus is a bigger car. It's also about twice the weight of the Sprite that I keep, which is 1450 lbs wet. My sons Honda CRX-H clocks in at about 1800 lbs, a full 1/2 ton less than the FiST, and about the same size, and while not nearly the same performance, it gets over 45 mpg on the freeway.

I know well how to deal with these salesmen. I do have empathy on the work that they have done. I just prefer not to put up with them. I got spoiled because my good buddy works as an internet sales for the largest Lexus dealer in the western USA. He knows me very well so his numbers always match up with mine because we both don't wanna waste time. Even with this luxury, it still usually takes 4 hours to wrap things up with preps, etc. I actually get more annoyed by green salesmen, not the seasoned slick ones. The green ones usually try very hard to use all the tricks in the book which I know too well. So, letting them doing this adds 1-2 hours of extravaganza.

I have done all my homework getting written quotes etc btw. So, if I m buying, I will probably just walk straight to the GSM's (general sales manager) desk and just give him a one shot offer. Either yes or I ll move on to the next dealer (unfortunately, we still have to do this the old fashion way in person to get the real rock bottom deal. Just the norm as they dont want to waste time to be shopped around. Remember this is SoCal and we have a Ford dealer every 5 miles or so).

I do like FiST a lot. However, this is how I rate the fun factor:
1) my '65 mustang is a 10. It gives me more rush than dilaudid j/k
2) my evo is a 9
3) daytona bike is a 10 but i have a toddler now and riding is a bit too risky. Will sell.
4) FiST in a stock form is 7.5 but i think it is easy to make it 8.5 with some bolt ons. It stills a bit tame in stock form. I also wish I fitted in recaro but i dont. That recaro makes the car cool and more special.

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You have some cool toys now, so no rush, as you've said.

The FiST still appeals to you despite "scoring lower". I agree that bolt-ons make it a lot better. My own FiST is closer to a 9 for me.

I still rate FiST above many contemporary cars though. Again , subjective feeling from relatively (< 1 year test drives).

FRS is 7 car to me. A car that'd be nice to have once it has depreciated to mid teens. What kills it is the midrange torque dip.

FoST. Strangely this car didnt leave a good impression. To me it feels just torque steer and a combination of unsorted tail-happy suspension. 4.5.

370z. The base car with sport package is okay good. The engine is coarse. Blind spot is crazy. It is also quite tail happy. Love that rev matching feature. this is a modern pony car more so than super bloated camaro and challenger, both should be called a GT class. NISMO version is actually worse in term of crazy stiff bumpy suspension that is not fun to drive at all on street. Taking a test drive, The tailed skipped mid corner a couple times at different turns only at 45ish mph. Base car 6.5, nismo 5.

E90 M3 competition package. Felt heavy and not fast. Great handling for its size. Turned back after 2 blocks (OC's block is big). E36 and E46 M3 felt more exciting from memory. Not worth the $ to me. Yes, call me crazy but it is a 6. Sales manager was "you dont think M3 is fast?"

S197 Boss 302. More exciting than M3. Very good handling for its size. But still feels heavy and not fast. Call me nuts again, a 7-.

STi Sedan. Heh? My GS F Sport is still more fun than this. Suspension felt weirdly unsorted. Soft yet harsh over bumps. To be fair, it was a carmax used car. 5.

C6 Z06. Pretty good actually. About as fast as my conservatively tuned 91 octane-ran Evo, but doing it more effortlessly. On the other hand, my Evo has much more control. But really that killjoy seat and cheap buttons for that price? I dislike the bland front look too. Not price savvy for me to get this. 7 considering those, 8 if not.

Evo X MR. You have to try Mitsu's sequential tranny. Combined with the factory racy tune of 4b11 engine it works quite phenomenal. I think it is better than VAG's DSG. GSR's manual is good too but not making the car feels special like MR. X GSR' s suspension is softer than 8's GSR. Unfortunately, MR's bilstein is even more so. Weight causes more roll than 8 too. Scored 8 for MR, 7 for GSR. Note that I like FiST more than X GSR. I like X MR better but why would I want to get another and a softer EVO. If i need a more civilized AWD sedan, there is such thing called Audi S4 (and upcoming S3).

987 Cayman S. Phenomenal mid engine chasis dynamics. Glorious tones behind your ears. But staying away after learning much about motor granading due seal problems. Without the problems this is an 8.5 car in term of fun .

Wild cards : Mk7 Golf R and GTI. They look just right. However , with more weight and price, does it mean that they will be more fun?

Again, all are merely my subjective opinions.

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Well...I almost completely agree with you! I see those cars more-or-less the way you've laid it out. Nice.

A few points that I feel worth restating:

1) Cayman makes glorious sounds! It's almost enough for me. Yeah handles great! I'm scared of the reliability issues. The beautiful sound is akin to my old Triumph Speed Triple or cam-driven gear whine of an early VFR.

I drove FiST again today. I m revising my assessment. It is a solid 8.

The point? Just showing my idiocy out loud on my brainstorming process if I am getting a FiST or not. For all you know, it could be a fake horn, right? Nobody knows me from Adam. Everything could be just a pure fantasy and I am a dreaming 13 years old . I never post pictures anyway.

Alright, if it is so offensive, I am deleting my posts. My apologies, alright? I was on pain medication when writing some postings. Not in my clearest mindset. Honestly, I meant no harm. I almost died and was hospitalized 3x last years. I m just looking for fun and might have been overcompensating with cars as I can't do my other hobbies now.

Not your problem but it is a new year. Let's have a positive mindset. Have a great year y'all. FiST is a great car, might get one today. Happy driving. Cheers.

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You got it wrong, bud. We all say stuff that gets taken the wrong way from time-to-time. You're an enthusiast, and we dig that -- remember you're in like company!

I hope you get a FiST and come back. You were called on something, and dealt with it. Don't get butt-hurt about it.